Bye for now composite ball, we barely knew ya…Now that the leather ball is back not everyone is happy: "I'd rather just finish it out this year and go back to the old ball next year, especially since they are sending us brand new, old (leather) balls," Bobcats forward Sean May said despite showing deep cuts on his fingertips. "They still have to be broken in."…The Wizards showed a very funny video between the first and second quarters with the microfiber ball exploding like the Death Star, complete with "Star Wars" theme music, followed by the leather ball getting out of bed, crossing a street, getting into a cab, punching some meat in a meat locker and victoriously climbing the steps of the Lincoln Memorial…all to the theme from "Rocky."

Speaking of the Wiz, did you see Gilbert Arenas win the game last night? Gilbert Arenas gets the ball inbounds under his own basket with the score tied and 6 seconds to play….he dribbles downcourt and seeing Charlie Bell backing off, he stops about 8 feet behind the three point line (or around 32 feet from the basket!!!) and pulls up for the winning 3-point jumper…"Once I let it go, I'm like, 'That's in," Arenas said. "I don't even need to look at this one." …and then he barely watched it go in before walking back the other way nodding his head giving the Wizards a 108-105 victory over the Bucks…"I thought he would take one more dribble," Bell said. "I give him credit. They say he has no conscience, and he doesn't."

Speaking of Gilbert Arenas…you have to go here and check out his birthday party…I especially love the invitation or the “Arenas Express card”
http://www.arenasexpress.com/

The Grizzlies beat the Warriors 144-135 last night…Mike Miller made 9 of 12 three-pointers for Memphis, his third straight game with at least seven three-point field goals, matching the longest such streak in NBA history. The only other player to do that was George McCloud, for the 1995-96 Mavericks…another remarkable stat? Both teams scored more than 30 points in each quarter for the first time in 15 years…

Mike Kahn of FOXSports.com with his weekely 10 things:

Happy New Year NBA fans! With apologies to the Hall of Fame rocker Peter Townshend, meet the new ball … same as the old ball.

1. Item: The NBA officially announced Sunday that the league is dumping the microfiber basketball it imposed upon the league at the start of training camp without consulting the players prior to the season, and returning to the leather ball it has been using for generations.

What this really means: It's hard to fathom that NBA commissioner David Stern actually believed dropping a new ball on the players without discussion would ever fly. The league never even explained why the change was made, which leads everybody to believe it was just a favor to Spalding to put a new ball on the market for sale because the NBA uses it. The players association even filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board about it (along with the way technicals and fines were being handed out), while the players struggled to control the ball when damp and found cuts on their hands when it was dry. Yeah, great move. Anyway, Stern conceded his error on Dec. 11 and three days later, Spalding sent 10 leather balls to each to provide ample time to break them in after passing NBA specifications. A week later, 10 more new balls and four used ones were sent – providing each team with a minimum of 24 balls. By the end of the month, all NBA teams will have at least 50 leather balls, and each game the crew chief will check the game ball for specifications and it must be approved by a designated player from each team. Amen.

2. Item: The Memphis Grizzlies fired coach Mike Fratello last week after a league-worst 6-24 start — despite a franchise best 95-83 mark overall — and replaced him for the rest of the season with Tony Barone, the Grizzlies director of player personnel the past seven years. What this really means: This franchise is a mess and it was inevitable that Fratello would take the fall. Their lone All-Star Pau Gasol didn't play until just a couple of weeks ago, featuring a bunch of guys too young or too old to be consistently productive – with perhaps the exception of Mike Miller. But that's not the point, really. Legendary president Jerry West will retire after this season and the once thrilled legion of fans in their new digs have already tired of the organization. Despite the posh new FedEx Forum to help revitalize the city, carpetbagger owner Michael Heisley moved after a year in Vancouver, and the majority of the team has been for sale almost since he landed the team in Memphis. The purported sale of that majority to former Duke teammates Brian Davis and Christian Laettner has the appearance of a total sham, with everybody in and around the organization very much aware of it. The biggest reality of it all comes from the Grizzlies at 7-25 entering the week and that was enough to send Fratello back to the telestrator. The hazard pay isn't as good, but at least he always had stability with his sidekick Marv.

3. Item: Now that the first coach has taken a hit, invariably it opens the door for another organization to make a move. Rumblings have quieted in both Toronto with Sam Mitchell and Dwane Casey in Minnesota — despite early contentions to the contrary. The real problems are manifesting in Atlanta, where the young Hawks are gaining speed in the downhill fast and Mike Woodson is struggling to find answers. What this really means: The Hawks have lost seven in a row, nine of 10, and since Joe Johnson got banged up last month, he has lost the edge that made him look like one of the best floor players in the league. And now, they can't seem to figure out how to win. This is when coaches become casualties. It has nothing to do with fair. General manager Billy Knight has been continuously rebuilding this team and made a horrible mistake in the 2005 draft when he passed up two exceptional point guards in Chris Paul and Deron Williams for forward Marvin Williams – ignoring the needs of the team for the old-fashioned view that you can always get point guards. Well, Tyronn Lue has done fine this year, Speedy Claxton is still injury prone, and the Hawks keep losing. It is Woodson's responsibility to eliminate the pall of a losing culture. But if everybody else in management keeps making mistakes and they lack the veteran leadership of having won – there is little he can do.

4. Item: The Milwaukee Bucks now have won seven of their last eight games and now have the seventh best record in the East – as the fifth team in the Central Division to be above .500 in a conference that has only seven teams with winning records. What this really means: The Bucks are forever destined to be the poor stepchild in the one impregnable division in the East considering their own financial restrictions. Give credit to Sen. Herb Kohl for hanging in there with this team, despite his limited financial resources and hanging on to super-scorer Michael Redd with a huge contract. But how long can this go on? They have every reason to be excited about young center Andrew Bogut and maybe even Charlie Villanueva. And yet, they overpaid free agent forward Bobby Simmons going into last season, and now he's out for this season with no contribution after an erratic first year with the club. On the surface, most of the pressure falls on underrated coach Terry Stotts, but ultimately it is up to Kohl. He got his new term as senator, so now it is time to face the future. He reneged on selling the majority to a group headed by Michael Jordan a few years ago, and now the buzz has begun again with the outdated Bradley Center a huge issue. That's not the legacy he wants, but sooner than later, Kohl has to come to terms with the big picture and get out before future prospects fade into oblivion.

5. Item: Sacramento Kings president Geoff Petrie continues to be reminded on a daily basis the conundrum that is forward Ron Artest. What this really means: Evidently, both the Kings and the Los Angeles Clippers have cooled on the Artest for Corey Maggette trade, but that's not to say the problems with Artest are resolved. They are always just below the surface, whether it's with teammates, management or just himself. Whether or not point guard Mike Bibby is fed up with Artest apparently is open for interpretation, but there are only two certainties when it comes to dealing with Artest: He'll make the defense better and he'll drive everybody crazy on offense — latter carrying into the locker room. There are other teams that want him simply because he makes a team tougher. But his delusional decision-making continuously outweighs what he contributes to the good of the team. His head is in the game only as long as he wants it to be. In other words, he's uncoachable for a large percentage of the time and it erodes the effectiveness and consistency of the entire team. For all the issues Maggette causes with his lack of defense and penchant for cranking up too many shots – there is potential for sanity there. With Artest … just ask the struggling Indiana Pacers about the long-range ramifications of having Artest on your team.

6. Item: In his first three games with the Denver Nuggets, Allen Iverson recorded double-doubles, averaging 31.3 points and 11.0 assists, as the Nuggets won two of them despite not having starters Marcus Camby (broken finger) and suspended Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith. Nonetheless, coach George Karl became the 12th coach to earn his 800th career victory. What this really means: Camby returned Sunday night, but the Nuggets fell to 2-3 since Iverson joined the club. Smith returns in five games, but Anthony has 10 more before his suspension is lifted from the Dec. 16 brawl in New York. Meanwhile, the diminutive backcourt of Iverson and 5-5 Earl Boykins must hold down the fort. So far, the move has been a breath of fresh air to Iverson and the Nuggets — not to mention their fans — are thrilled to have him and awaiting the return of Anthony with baited breath. It revitalized Karl after the hassles with Kenyon martin last year and Iverson's desire to run will help maintain the excitement and should validate his ability to help Anthony on his quest for success among he NBA elite. Of course, there is no guarantee Iverson and Anthony can co-exist because they need the ball so much – then again, they're both just stubborn enough that it will help energize the duo to prove everybody wrong.

7. Item: 2006 rookie of the year Chris Paul joined the already crowded shelf of the New Orleans/Oklahoma City shelf that includes Peja Stojakovic and David West. What this really means: When Paul badly sprained his ankle last week in a loss at Seattle, and it was difficult not to imagine the blood draining out of coach Byron Scott's face. Early on, just like last year, they were one of the surprise team. Then Stojakovic went down with a disc problem that has him out of the season. West isn't healthy yet and neither is third guard Bobby Jackson. It's a mess and there is little hope now for the team to compete for a playoff spot. So where does the future lie for this organization? The NBA and owner George Shinn are committed to New Orleans for a full return from Oklahoma City next season, but the unknown lingers. When a team overachieves and is novel to a city, there is no question about its popularity and the fans will come. But mediocrity or worse, plus an indecisive owner such as Shinn who moved from Charlotte to New Orleans, and now is playing in Oklahoma City (due to Hurricane Katrina), and uncomfortable with the financial instability about moving back … well, support over the large scheme of things won't come easy. But in the immediate future, it is Byron Scott who needs the support. And considering the circumstances, the picture isn't pretty.

8. Item: The Dallas Mavericks went to Denver Sunday night and escaped the wind, snow and ire of the Nuggets for a four-point win for coach Avery Johnson's 100th victory in his first 131 games. That is the best start for a coach in NBA history – getting there four games faster than legendary Red Auerbach. What this really means: As if their 12-game winning streak that stretched through November to Dec. 1 wasn't impressive enough, the Mavericks extended their present run to 10 games at the Pepsi Center. More striking is the simple fact they did it with Dirk Nowitzki home and ailing with a sinus infection. Clearly, Josh Howard is working his way back into the dominating impact-style that made him one of the bright young stars last year. But at this particular time of the season, this is about Johnson, who has lifted this franchise from having peaked at a tad below the elite level with Don Nelson, and now will be considered challengers to win the NBA title over the next few years at least. Most of the attention has centered on how much Johnson has lifted the defensive intensity. That's part of it. But he's also given them an energy and focus that has put them in a different category. And that brings a word of warning to the rest of the league. From a 1-6 mark to the NBA-best 24-7 they took into Monday's games, they're just getting started.

9. Item: It's nearly impossible to get a handle on the very sad Atlantic Division, but the irony is that the perplexing New York Knicks are just one game out of first place and are 5-3 since their brawl with the Denver Nuggets. What this really means: On the surface, it's hard to tell. What we can tell, though, is that president-made-coach Isiah Thomas is putting passion back into their game. Sure, Steve Francis appears to have quit on the team – which is hard to fathom for a $16 million a year guy – and he'll yank impressive David Lee for some odd reason or another, but the finally appear to be headed forward instead of swimming in the tank. Certainly 13-20 is nothing to gloat about, even if they are just a game out of first place, but they are better. With Larry Brown's incessant lineup changes and bickering with players behind closed doors and in the media, last season was the ultimate nightmare. And whether it's Thomas screaming at opposing players such as Bruce Bowen, or perhaps inciting the brawl as some have insisted, he is at least getting them to play hard. And considering how bad they were a year ago, that's progress.

10. Item: The Houston Rockets won three out of four games last week as Tracy McGrady has returned a seven-game back-spasm hiatus to average 27.0 points to keep the Rockets among the top six teams in the West. What this really means: It's huge that they got T-Mac back and he's contributing significantly. But they'll be without Yao Ming for probably two months after breaking a bone in his leg, and the inevitable question is how long McGrady is physically capable of carrying this team without Yao. McGrady will get his points, if healthy, but for them to remain in contention, guys like Shane Battier, Rafer Alston, Juwan Howard and Luther Head must consistently raise their performance so McGrady doesn't have to carry too much weight on his shoulders. Otherwise, he very well could suffer the consequences, and have little to offer by the time Yao returns.